The present invention relates to dispensers of rolled products, and more particularly to dispensers having features that permit simple and easy insertion and removal of a roll of material into the dispenser.
Dispensing of rolled paper products such as paper toweling, bathroom tissue, and the like, is common in commercial facilities such as airports, manufacturing plants, and shopping malls. Rolled paper products are dispensed in different areas within these facilities, such as restrooms and work areas. In such facilities, it is important to use maintenance personnel in an efficient manner, including minimizing both the number of visits maintenance personnel must make to these locations as well as the amount of time expended tending to the dispensers on each visit.
To install a roll of material into many of the currently available dispensers, maintenance personnel must thread the leading end of the rolled paper product through a series of rollers so that the product dispenses properly. Additionally, some dispensers require that the roll of paper product be installed in the dispenser so that the roll rotates in a particular direction. If the roll of paper product is not loaded correctly, the product may not dispense properly. Such dispensers require maintenance personnel to spend additional time ensuring that the roll of paper product is loaded correctly into the dispenser and threaded properly through the dispensing mechanism. Thus, it is desirable to utilize a dispenser that permits rolls of paper product to be easily and correctly loaded into the dispenser in a rapid and efficient manner.
The present invention relates to opposed cantilevered adapters for supporting a roll of material. The adapters have a roll bearing surface, a projection surface with a first end and a second end such that the first end is substantially coterminous and substantially perpendicular to the roll bearing surface at each point along an interface formed therebetween, and an actuating surface angularly coterminous with the second end of the projection surface. The cantilevered adapters are mounted on opposed rigid surfaces in coaxially aligned, spaced apart relation such that the application of a biasing force applied to the actuating surface causes the adapters to deflect in a direction away from the opposed adapter, and removal of the biasing force causes the adapter to protrude toward the opposed adapter. The adapters may further include a connecting portion contiguous to the actuating surface and distal to the projection surface for joining the adapters to the opposed rigid surfaces. The roll bearing surface is sufficiently distal to the opposed rigid surfaces, thereby permitting adequate deflection for insertion or removal of the roll.
The present invention also relates to a dispenser for dispensing a material from a cored roll having a housing having a plurality of opposed walls forming an interior volume and an opening, a means for dissociating the material from the roll disposed proximal to the opening, and at least one pair of cantilevered adapters mounted on opposed walls within the interior volume in substantially coaxially aligned, spaced apart relation. At least one adapter further comprises a roll bearing surface, a projection surface having a first end and a second end such that the first end is substantially coterminous with the roll bearing surface, and an actuating surface angularly coterminous with the second end of the projection surface. The first end and the bearing surface are substantially perpendicular at each point along the interface therebetween. The application of a biasing force to the actuating surface causes the adapters to deflect in a direction away from the opposed adapter, and removal of the biasing force causes the adapter to protrude toward the opposed adapter. The dispenser may further include adapters having a connecting portion contiguous to the actuating surface and distal to the projection surface for joining the adapters to the opposed walls. The connecting portion positions the roll bearing surface sufficiently distal to the opposed walls to permit adequate deflection for insertion or removal of the roll.